


Incident of the Lone Wolf

by Tintenfischie



Category: Rawhide (TV)
Genre: Cowboys, Fluff, M/M, animal attack (brief mentions), animal death (brief mentions)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tintenfischie/pseuds/Tintenfischie
Summary: When the cattle drive is threatened by a wolf, Mushy decides to try and tackle the problem on his own.





	Incident of the Lone Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've written in over a decade, so most likely I'm extremely rusty at it! It's also the first I have ever published online. Very gentle constructive criticism is welcome. Hope everyone enjoys reading!

For a place as big and empty as the Sedalia Trail, it was ever full of problems. At least, it was that way for any cattle drives on the trail. In this case, the problem was a serious one that threatened both the men and the cattle: a wolf. Periodic howls called out, ringing far and wide across the flat prairie to the distant hills. With each echoing howl, trail boss Gil Favor grew more concerned. He and Pete rode side by side as they listened.

“That's an awful lot of howling for a lone wolf. You sure it's just the one out there?” Favor asked. The two of them sat atop their horses, looking across the plains, so vast and open yet still so many places where danger could easily hide. It would be no stretch of the imagination to think of a whole pack out amongst the patches of trees and scrub.

But Pete was confident in his assessment. “Yeah, I'm sure. It's howling so much because it's been separated from the rest of its pack, somehow. It's trying to call for others. Almost makes me feel sorry for it, being so lonely.”

“Separated, lonely, or even injured, we'll be the sorry ones if that wolf gets to the cattle...or us.” Favor was no stranger to the deadly threats posed by injured animals, and he was determined not to let past mistakes repeat themselves. “C'mon, let's head back to camp, warn everyone to keep an eye out.”

At camp, Favor made sure everyone knew the situation. It took no effort for everyone to understand what they were dealing with. It wasn't long ago that a fellow drover had been killed by a wolf, the recollection of the incident casting a sombre shadow over the men. They lacked the resources to set any traps this time around but made sure everyone on watch was properly armed.

Unseen dangers never meant stopping their daily work and routine. Dinner was prepared and eaten as usual. Those on watch were given rifles, fire power enough in case the wolf was sighted.

Dusk was beginning to cast its warm orange colours across the land as Mushy started washing the dishes. He took a moment to look out over the prairie, deceptively still for the time being. Only quiet winds and the occasional call from birds gave any indication of living beings aside from the drovers and their animals. The world seemed to be in a gentle lull as the day wound down, but before the night awoke.

Just on the edge of some nearby hills, Mushy spotted two animals silently moving in the dying light. Luckily, neither were wolves. “Look over there!” He pointed to the two creatures: a doe and her tiny fawn. He smiled as he watched how the doe walked quietly and gracefully, so unlike the lumbering, clumsy cattle they were all so used to staring at, day after day. All the while, her spotted fawn bounced along up and down in the scrub to keep up. His smile quickly waned as he realized something. “Wait, how close are they? From where we heard the wolf?”

“Far enough away.” Pete said. Upon seeing Mushy's concern, he continued, “Now look, Mushy, those are wild animals, and they know well enough to keep away from a wolf. Probably better than any of us. It's in their instincts.” Pete always knew everything about matters like this, Mushy was sure of that, but for whatever reason, it did little to reassure him at the moment. Wild animals or not, there was no way those deer could ever stand up against a wolf, even an injured one.

Ever observant, Wishbone could tell Mushy would not be swayed so easily. “Pete's right. Those deer don't need help from us. They're not stupid like the cattle. No, those dumb animals are the ones what need all the help they can get! Speaking of help, who don't you make yourself useful and get back to helping with the dishes?” Mushy jumped to command and got to work, though Wishbone doubted that he'd put the deer out of his mind entirely. “Of all the things to worry about, a couple of deer.” He said to Pete. “If he gets himself into trouble over this, why I--”

“If he listens to you, he'll be fine.” Pete said.

Wishbone stared back at him with the most incredulous look he could muster. “ _Listens to me_? Since when?”

For a few moments, Pete stood without speaking, then said, “Well, the boss'll want me to keep tracking that wolf. I had better go get a move on.”

Wishbone shook his head as Pete promptly set his plate down and left. “That's what I thought!”

Though he said nothing more about the deer to anyone, Mushy refused to drop the issue. Of course the cattle were the most important, he knew that as well as anybody else on the drive. He didn't have to be a real drover to recognize that fact! It still didn't mean he was about to let something happen to other creatures in need.

The more he thought about it, the more dire the situation seemed. _Just that little fawn and its mama, all alone in the wide open world_. He made up his mind that he would just have to take care of that himself. The only question that remained was how exactly he was supposed to do that.

With the tracking skills Pete had taught him, Mushy figured he would be able to find the wolf. It might not be easy, he admitted to himself. His skills weren't exactly perfectly honed, but he felt confident that he could do it nonetheless. The hardest part would be getting away from the rest of the drive in order to even begin tracking in the first place. There was no way he could go out before sun up, and obviously he needed to help Wishbone with breakfast...and the dishes afterwards…so what time did that leave him? He supposed he'd just have to risk leaving after clean up.

Mushy wiped his brow and adjusted his hat, wishing he was better at making up plans of his own. Whenever his friends came up with a plan, it always seemed to work out. Eventually, at least. If he were only able to ask the others for their help. It seemed like the more he thought about it, the less plausible it became. So, he decided to stop thinking about it for the time being.

The next morning, as patiently as he could manage, Mushy got through the routine of breakfast and clean-up. He hadn't said one word to indicate the deer were still on his mind, but he worried as though someone might pick up on them anyway. Half the time he swore Wishbone could read his thoughts as it was! A couple of nearly-dropped dishes earned him a few stern glares, but that was the closest he came to slipping up.

Once he was free, Mushy wasn't quite sure where exactly to begin. Everyone else seemed occupied enough not to pay any particular attention to him, so he made his way over to the supply wagon, doing his best to appear casual should anyone take notice. From there, he kept his movements as quiet as he could in order to retrieve a rifle, knowing he'd need more than a six shooter to take down a wolf.

He started walking around the edge of camp, hoping to remain unnoticed as he searched the ground for possible signs. Of course all he could hope to see were the prints left by horses, drovers, and wagons. If he wanted to find anything else, he would have to go out into the plains. Why not start with where he'd seen the deer? Mushy took one last look back at camp before heading out for the hill.

He couldn't stop looking back as he went, expecting that any minute someone would show up, running after him. Depending on who caught him it could be bad news for him and definitely put an end to his plan. _If_ anyone caught him, he reminded himself!

What he didn't have to remind himself that wolves were always bad news, alone or in a pack. The thought rattled in his mind, for al the trouble they'd had with both wolves and injured predators before. He and Wish had been the ones to dig the grave for the fallen drover, the ones to bury the body. Thinking back to those times, still extremely vivid in his memory, he steadied his hands and tightened his grip on the gun.

His own fears and the others' words of warning were drowned out by the thought of that wolf getting hold of the doe or the fawn. _Especially not the fawn_. Mushy continued toward the hills, his plan still in motion.

He moved further and further away from camp, checking the ground for signs of disturbance, but found nothing. Every now and then, he paused to listen, the sounds of cattle growing more and more distant until he could no longer hear the herd. So far, all he'd heard of the wilderness was the whistles and peeps of sleek, black grackle birds as they foraged and pecked about the ground for bugs. His attention was drawn away here and there when the birds would occasionally made acrobatic swoops to catch giant, flying grasshoppers in mid-air, though he always went back to focusing on the task at hand. Keeping a slow and steady pace, he eventually reached the edge of the trees where he stopped.

With the exception of the bird calls and the wind blowing across the dry vegetation, there was nothing to be heard. It was beginning to look as though all his efforts would turn out fruitless. He was contemplating simply going back to camp, and forgetting the whole thing, hopefully before anyone even noticed he had left in the first place.

The sudden snap of a twig called him to attention. Aiming where the sound came from, Mushy readied to fire. But as the animal stepped out from the trees, he lowered his gun. Instead of a wolf, out walked a towering stag with antlers like oak branches. For several seconds, Mushy stared at the creature, its dark brown eyes staring him right back. It was just as graceful as the doe, but exuded a stern power. Mushy realized this must be the father to her fawn! So caught up in his admiration of the stag, he hadn't been paying attention to how it gradually lowered its antlers, points outward, all the while continuing its approach. It came to a halt. Mushy and the animal tensed at one another's presence. Then, with a few stomps of its front hoof, the stag began to charge.

Mushy didn't hesitate to turn tail and bolt. The sound of the deer's hooves weren't so silent any more; with the force of the animal behind him, it might as well have been the stampeding of a thousand cattle! There was no way he could outrun the deer for long either; he headed for a lone tree, his only hope for escape. Panting for breath, he managed to reach the tree in time, throwing down his gun as he scrambled up the creaking branches. The tree was dead, or nearly there, and its weakened branches threatened to break under his weight. Mushy climbed up as far as he could and looked down to where the stag now stood, pawing at the ground and scraping its knife-sharp antlers against the trunk.

 _How long is he gonna stay there_? As long at the stag was there, Mushy was not leaving the tree. He could already hear everyone telling him off over this. By now, everyone was used to his mistakes, but this was a particularly pointless stunt. It wasn't for the sake of the drive at all, only these wild deer. After meeting the buck, it was clear they were perfectly capable of going head-to-head with an injured wolf and his concern had been for nothing in the first place. _Maybe it's better if I stay trapped up here forever…_

But his worries were interrupted with the crack of gunfire. Even faster than he had charged toward him, the frightened stag bounded away, leaping back to where he had come from.

“Lucky you found that buck and not the wolf.” It was Rowdy. Mushy had never been so happy to see him! Truthfully, he was always glad to see Rowdy, but at this moment he was especially grateful. “Coast is clear, you can come down from the tree now.” Rowdy said with a brief laugh. Shifting slightly from the branch he currently clung to, Mushy froze when he heard a distinct splintering sound. While being charged by a wild animal, he hadn't exactly had time to pick out the best tree, and this one appeared ready to collapse with the slightest of movement.

“Rowdy, I don't think I _can_ get down.” His voice shook ever so slightly as he spoke. He'd gotten away from the deer he'd drawn out in the first place, now he was going to fall out of a tree? Rowdy looked from the ground to where Mushy was. It was probably too far to jump, but there was another way.

“Well look, just do your best to climb down and I'll spot you.” Rowdy stood at the base of the tree, directly below Mushy, his arms awkwardly set to catch him in case he fell. Rowdy was unsure of this plan, but Mushy had instantly put all of his faith into him and started down the tree. In the rush, he started climbing a little _too_ fast and missed a branch.

With a yelp, Mushy slipped out of the tree, landing gracelessly in Rowdy's arm, who in turn fell on his rear with a thud. He flinched, already knowing he'd have one hell of a bruise from that.

“You all right?” He asked Mushy, who seemed perfectly fine and chipper despite what he'd just been through.

“I'm fine. You saved my life, Rowdy!” Maybe it was something about how he'd said it, or the fact that he was still in Rowdy's arms, but Mushy's words made him blush.

“Ah, it was nothin'! That deer wasn't gonna stay long. And that fall, that wasn't high enough to do any--” Mushy closed the small space between them and pressed his lips against Rowdy's in a brief kiss. Just as quickly, Mushy pulled away, first staring wide-eyed, as though he couldn't quite believe what he'd just done. He turned his head, averting his eyes to the ground as he blushed brightly.

Before Mushy could gather his thoughts or even try to offer any explanation, Rowdy placed a hand under his chin and gently tilted his face toward his own. He leaned forward in another kiss, this one deeper, both allowing their lips to linger against one another. They finally, slowly parted, Mushy wearing a half-lidded, dazed expression. Rowdy offered up his usual lop-sided smile.

Both were torn from their reverie when a loud gunshot heard in the distance, indicating that someone had indeed found the wolf. Rowdy and Mushy looked out where the sound had come from, then to each other.

“Uh, we'd better get back to the others!” Rowdy said as he and Mushy scrambled to stand up and dust themselves off. Mushy was still blushing slightly as he went to pick up his gun and hat, which he'd only just noticed had fallen off at some point.

“Say, Rowdy?” He stopped and turned to face Mushy. “You won't tell anyone, will you?”

Rowdy felt himself blushing again. “Tell—tell anyone about what..?”

Mushy quickly elaborated: “About me goin' out after the wolf on my own, I mean!”

“Oh! Well sure, of course.” They started back off to camp. “They might've figured it out already, though. I think Wish noticed you were gone.” Rowdy noticed Mushy's face fall at the news. “But don't worry about it too much. I wont tell anyone what you were up to. Maybe help keep you out of getting in trouble!”

Mushy wasn't sure if Rowdy could actually prevent that, but it made him feel better anyway. On their way back to camp, he stopped to take a look back. In the same patch of woods where he had encountered the buck, Mushy now saw the doe and her fawn. Even if the deer never truly needed his help, he looked back to Rowdy, and he was glad he had done what he did.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I kind of flubbed some facts on the wildlife. I was worried about this problem at first until I remembered the episode where they used German shepherds as wolves and realized I'd put more effort into animal accuracy than was ever needed. The entire deer thing was based off of something that happened to me, though unfortunately I did not have a tall, handsome cowboy to rescue me from the tree. Honestly, this whole fic was an excuse to get to that cutesy ending because I really wanted Rowdy/Mushy fluff. Hopefully, it turned out as fun to read as it was to write. Thanks!


End file.
